Box-covering machine



3 SHEETS'SHEET l C. W. SURPLUS. Box COVERING MACHINE. Fl LED- APR. 1 I 1922.

Jane 23, 123.

Q Q Q 0.

Ks Wm jam, 23, 1923. 1,442,335

C. W. SURPLUS Box COVERING MACHINE- FILED APR. 11, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2 Jam. :23, 1923. 1,442,835

C. W. SURPLUS Box Coveame MACHINE FILED APR. 11. 1922. 3 SHEETS'SHEET 3 ml III I Patented J an. 23, 1923.

CHARLES W. SURPLUS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BOX-COVERING MACHINE.

Application filed April 11, 1922. Serial No. 551,534.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. SURPLUS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box-Covering Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in box covering machines, and has for its object to provide means on a box covering machine for cutting lateral slits in the side of the covering strip, to suit the corners of the box which is being covered by said machine, in order that the slitted portions of said strip may be properly folded over against the walls of the box.

In the ordinary machines used for covering boxes, similar to the one illustrated in the present drawings, the operator folds the strip of covered paper or material, drawn from the covering machine, around the box to be covered and during this operation folds with the left hand the left edge of the extended paper onto the box, while using the right hand to control the box and retain it in position on the box-form. Thereafter the right hand flap of the covering strip, which extends beyond the box, must be out by hand at the corners, and then folded into the box and pasted in proper position.

It is my object to avoid this manual cutting operation, and to provide mechanical means on the machine for cutting the required lateral slits in exact position in the coveringstrip to fit the corners of the box to be covered, and also to provide means for adjustably mounting the slitting means on the machine, and further to provide means for automatically actuating the slitting means by the driving mechanism, and preferably by means of the movable cutting member of the machine.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best'understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which, 7

Figure l, is a perspective view of the forward portion of a box covering machine, with my invention applied thereto;

Flg. 2, is a detail view of one of the slitting devices;

Fig. 8, is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, with a box covering strip in operative position thereon;

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively, front and top views of the lateral supporting bar or cross bar of my device;

Fig. 6, is an enlarged view of a box partly covered, with the covering strip slitted and arranged thereon in the manner indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7, is a fragmentary plan view showing the slitting device arranged near the main cutting member, in the preferred position, when a large or long box is being covered.

In the drawings I have shown my inven tion applied to a covering machine of wellknown construction, which is provided with. an upper cutting member 11 which is movable, at lower cutting member 12 which is stationary, a boxtloi'm 13 which is laterally ad justable by turning the hand wheel 14 and is rotated intermittently by the driving mechanism of the machine which is mainly enclos ed in the housing 15 and is actuated by the driving pulley 16, upon depression of the power applying treadle 17 in a well-known manner.

In the form of my invention illustrated in the drawings, my means for mounting the slitting device comprises a pair of cross bars 18 mounted on the longitudinal frame rods 19 of the machine by means of clamping jaws 20. and a longitudinal bar 21, which is adjustably mounted in horizontal slots 22 in said cross bars and retained in adjusted position therein by means of bolts 23 passing through vertical slots 24 in the cross bars 18 and through a slot 25 in the longitudinal bar 21.

The slitting means or devices comprise a plurality of cutting devices, as many devices are used as there are corners around the top side of the box to he covered, or there are sides to be covered. Each slitting device comprises a stationary aw 27 provided with a slot 28 to receive the longitudinal bar 21 said jaw being adjustably retained on said bar 21 by means of a thumb screw 29 passing through slot 25 in said bar and clamping the bar on the lower part of said jaw by means of a nut 30 placed and held against rotation in an angular seat in the upper part of jaw 27. The stationary cutting knife or cutter 31 is removably mounted on jaw 27. and upon an arm 32 of said jaw is pivotally mounted an arm 33 of. the movable jaw on which the cutting knife or cutter 35 is removab-ly mounted in any convenient manner. A. rod 36 extends upward from the movable jaw and is provided with a collar 37. which engages a longitudinal. operating rod 38 and carries. a. set screw 39 for adjust ing and holding said collar in the required position on operating rod 38.

In order to actuate the slitting devices automatically through the ope 'ating mechanism of the machine. the forward end of the operating rod 38 is connected to the operating means of the covering machine, and is preferably adj ust-ably connected'to the movable main cutting member l]. Said connecting means may. comprise any suitable mechanlsn i, as a clamping member at), swiveled onto the forward end of the rod 38 and iuljustably fastened to the cutting member 1l with; a suitable pair of jaws and a set sc ew InFigs. 3 a11d6 a box, with equal sides is illustrated, the covering strip being applied to three of its sides while the fourth side is not, yet covered by the oil' standing side portion a, said last side of the box having only the narrow strip a folded over the corner (see Fig. 6) and in Figs. 1. and 3 are illustrated the arrangement of the slitting devices for cutting the required slits in proper position for the covering strip. lhe length of the strip from the box, shown in Fig. 3, to the edge a of the stationary knife 12provides the side a, and the length from said edge e to the succeeding slit 0 provides the narrow str p a for at taching to the first side of the hon, bestshown in Fig. 6, and for the small boxes a complete or entire strip "with slits cut there; in may be retained onthe. machine, between the; main cutting member 1:? and the nearest slitting device; whereas with larger or longer boxes thenearest slitting device may he set forwa rd suth'ciently close to the main cutting member to provide a length of material between said cutting member and cutting device suflicient to cover the first side of the box, as indicated in Fig. 7 by the distance (ZY and its equivalent KZ. The slitting devices willihe; adjusted along the longitudi- .nal' bar 21 and the operating rod 38 to suit the particular size of the box to be covered.

lVhile I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into eifect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as'come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a box covering machine, the combination with the cutting members of said inachine,ofmeans associated with and actuated by said cutting members for-cutting a. plurality of slits in the strip of covering material used by said machine.

2. In a box covering machine, the combination with the cutting members of said machine, of means connected to and operated by said cutting members for cutting lateral slits in the strip of covering material used by said machine.

3. In a box covering machine, the combination with the cutting members and. the frame rods of said machine, of means mounted on said frame rods and operated by said cutting membcr= for cutting at fixed intervals in the strip of covering material used by said machine.

t. In a box covering machine, the conibh nation with a box-frame, supporting means for a stripof paper, and a cutter of means adj ustably connected to and actuated'by said cutter for cutting slits in said strip of paper to suit the edges of the box held on said bo-X-frame.

5. In a box covering machine, the combitaolunenl: comprising meansfor adjustably mounting said attachment on the machine, slitting devices for cutting slits in said'covering material, and means for automatically o 'ierat-ing said devices with the operating mechanism of said machine to cut a plurality 0t slits for each operation of said material cutting means.

7. An attachment for slitting the covering strip of a, box covering machine having strip cutting means, such attachmentcom-' CIT amaze prising means for adjustably mounting the attachment on said machine, slitting devices for cutting slits in said covering strip, and. operating means for automatically operating said slitting devices with the operation or said machine and in unison with said cutting means. v I Y 8. An attachment for a boxcovering machine having a movable cutter, said attachment comprising means for adjustably suporting the attachment on the machine, slittin devices adjustably mounted on said supporting means, and means connected to said movable cutter for automatically operating said slitting devices with said cutter.

9. An attachment fora box covering machine having a movable cutter, said attachment comprising means for adjustably supporting the attachment on the machine, slitting devices adjustably mounted on said supporting means, and an operating rod adjustably connected to said cutter and said slitting devices for automatically actuating said devices with said cutter.

10. An attachment for a box covering machine having frame rods and a movable cutting member, said attachment havin cross bars adj ustably mounted on said frame rods, means adjustably mounted on said cross bars for cutting slits at predetermined intervals in the side of the covering strip used on said machine, and means for actuating said slitting means by the movable cutting member' 11; An attachment for a box covering machine having frame members and a movable cutting member, said attachment comprising cross bars adjustably mounted on said frame members, a longitudinal bar adjustably mounted on said cross bars, means adjustably mounted on said longitudinal bar for cutting slits at predetermined intervals in the side of the covering strip used by said machine, and means for actuating said slitting means through the movable cutting member.

12. An attachment for a box covering machine having frame members and a movable cutting member, said attachment comprising members mounted on said frame members, a bar adjustably mounted on the last said men.v ers, slitting devices adjust-ably mounted on said bar, ans. a longitudinally extending member connecting said slitting devices with the movable cutting member For actuating said devices.

13. An attachment for a box covering machine having stationary frame rods and movable operating mechanism, said attachment comprising cross members mounted on said frame rods for longitudinal adjust ment thereon. a longitudinally extending bar mounted on said cross bars for longitudinal adjustment thereon, cutting devices mounted on said longitudinal bar and being longitudinally adjusted thereon, and means adjustably connecting the cutting, devices with the movable mechanism of the machine for actuating said devices.

1%. An attachment for a box covering mechine having cutting members, said attachment comprising a slitting device adj ustably mounted on said machine, said device comprising a stationary cutter and a movable cutter, and means for operatively connecting said movable cutter with the cutting member of the said machine.

15. An attachment for a box covering machine having a movable cutting member, said attachment comprising supporting means adjustably mounted on said machine, slitting devices having a stationary jaw with a removable cutter mounted on said supporting means, a movable jaw with a removable cutter connected to said stationary j aw; and means connected to the main cutting member for actuating said slitting devices therewith.

16. An attachment for a box covering machine having a movable cutting member and frame members, said attachment comprising a bar adjustablv carried by said frame members. slitting devices having each a station arv jaw adjustably mounted on said bar, a cutter removablv mounted in said jaw, a movable aw pivotally mounted on said stationary jaw, a cutter removably mounted on said movable jaw, and means for actuating said movable jaw automatically with the actuation of the movable main cuttingmen1- ber.

17. An attachment for a box covering machine having frame rods and a movable cutting member, said attachment comprising cross bars adjustably mounted on the frame rods.v a. longitudinal bar mounted in slots in said cross bars, means passing through said slots and throughv a slot in the longitudinal bar for clamping said bars together, stationary slitting members adjustably mounted on said longitudinal bar, movable slitting mem bers connected to said stationary members, and means on each of said movable members adjustablv engaging an operating rod for actuating said movable members.

An attachment for a box co ering ma chi e having frame rods and a movable cut ting member. said attachment comprising supporting means providing longitudinal adjustment on said ihfame rods, a bar ad" justably mounted on said supporting means, slitting devices a justably mounted on said bar. an operating rod adjustably mounted on said slitting devices and a clamping member for adjustably connecting said'opcrating rod with the movable cutting member of the machine.

19. In combination with a box covering machine having box supporting means, supporting means for a strip of box covering material and means for cutting said material; of a plurality of slitting devices In testimony Whereofl have signedniy mounted on said machine; and means adname'tothisfspecificetion in the presence 10 justuhly conneeted with s aid devicesend of twosubscribingwitnesses.

operated by said lnachlne 111 halmony with OHARLESIVVFSURPLUSI Y the operation of said cutting'means for cutting a-p1u1u1ity of slits in the strip of cover- VVitnesses-z ing material to fit the edges of the box held FREDA C. APPLETQN, on said box supporting means. MARGARETAUERI 

